A Well Deserved Honor

Nguyen Named NAIA Honorable Mention All-American

Nick Nguyen, a senior from Denver, CO, was named NAIA All-American Honorable Mention at the conclusion of the NAIA World Series. The 6’3” first baseman led the team in batting average (.372), which included 61 hits, 17 doubles, and 8 home runs. Earlier in the season, Nguyen was one of seven Panthers named MCAC 1st Team All-Conference. Nguyen was a standout player on both sides of the field as his defensive efforts also earned him a MCAC Gold Glove Award along with two other YC infielders. In the 53-game schedule, Nguyen had a .991 fielding percentage with only 4 errors on the season.

The 2010-11 season was one for the record books as the Panthers under Head Coach Nick Harlan and Assistant Head Coach Brian Walth repeated as the MCAC regular season champions, going 39-14 on the year. In the conference tournament, a 3-4 loss to Bellevue University in the championship game deprived the Panthers of an invitation to the NAIA National Championships. The Panthers defeated five of the teams that received bids to the National Championships including Lubbock Christian University who eventually went on to earn World Series Champions Runners-Up.
Besides leading the conference in almost every team statistic, the Panthers were ranked in 11 team categories in the NAIA, including #6 in the nation in home runs per game (1.264) and #8 in slugging percentage (0.529). They were also ranked in 17 individual categories with Brett Nathan atop the charts with his perfect fielding percentage and Sam Feiner #5 in home runs per game (0.340) and #6 in total home runs (18). On the season, the bats yielded an impressive total of 492 hits, 352 RBIs, and 67 home runs, a YC record. In the NAIA coaches' poll, York College finished ranked 24th in the nation.